Hot for hotcakes

Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, February 27, 2003

Daily News/DANIELLE RAPPAPORT

Nancy Palmer laughs as more sausage is heaped on her plate at the Pancake Supper at H.H. Dow High School. Rotary member Gordon Liu got laughs as he continuously served people more food than they asked for.

Chuck Martz knows precisely how long it takes to move hundreds of people from the doors of H.H. Dow High School to the place where their supper waits.

Martz is a member of the Midland Rotary Club, which prepared and served its 31st pancake supper Thursday night. Money from the annual supper goes to youth exchange programs and local charities.

On Thursday, 2,485 people chowed down on pancakes, sausage and applesauce, about the same number as in previous years, said Co-Chairperson Terry Stanton.

Martz, a greeter, knows, for example, that it takes 15 minutes to move the crowd from the doors to a certain mens room at the corner of the hallway.

"Its my core competency," he said of his job. "It beats being out here flipping pancakes or flipping sausages."

In a line of so many people of so many ages and circumstances, Martz demonstrates good people skills. If spouses come separately and just one of them has the tickets, Martz tells the earlier arrival to let the folks up front know "so they just let (the other person) in."

When pancake supper first-timer Lori Collick and husband Scott pulled into the parking lot with their children, she wondered "should we do this?" But 3 1/2-year-old daughter Emilys favorite food is pancakes, so the family stayed. Ryan, 10 months, had fun watching the people from his stroller.

"I was very, very surprised" at how smoothly the line moved, Lori said.

Shima Grover, whos come to the supper for four years, said this was the first time she arrived later in the meal. She found a parking place near the school, got in line with 30 people ahead of her and was served right away.

"They served us very efficiently," she said. "Its great fun."

The supper begins at 4 p.m. but, by 3:30, theres usually a long line of earlybirds.